tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246769289463858102.post1282648713453410141..comments2023-10-20T10:06:23.364-04:00Comments on Preaching Essentials- Lenny Luchetti: Changing the Cultural DNA of Your Local ChurchLenny Luchettihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08896001990363426239noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246769289463858102.post-60522917363341963272012-09-19T15:27:15.417-04:002012-09-19T15:27:15.417-04:00Matt, I look forward to having you in class as we ...Matt, I look forward to having you in class as we learn together how to love Christ more and serve him better.<br /><br />Dave, it was great to meet you and I am excited by what God is "up to" in your church. Go for it! Love the people already in the church as well as the people who are not yet in the church. Don't neglect either.<br />LennyLenny Luchettihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08896001990363426239noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246769289463858102.post-15273983466994983822012-09-19T11:55:05.429-04:002012-09-19T11:55:05.429-04:00Greetings from the mountains of NC. I was a flame ... Greetings from the mountains of NC. I was a flame student in Sophia NC and I told you a little about the "changes" I am facing as a pastor here. I feel God is shifting our focus. We are a pre-programed church. The church I pastor is over 100 years old and has been programed the same for most of those 100 plus years. This shift in focus is definitely a move away from the pre-programing of our past to a preparation for the future. <br /> Over the last year we have seen our youth and children's efforts almost double to the point that people under 18 make up over 1/3 of the congregation. <br /> I am convinced that God is leading us to focus our ministry efforts on this demographic, and I THINK I have the support of the adults. However I am scared to death. There seems to be a kinetic tension hanging over us as we are preparing for the coming changes. It feels like something great is about to be born but I fear the labor pangs that are coming. This hasn't cost anyone anything yet, but me. I have been carrying the hot water and clean towels while others watch with anticipation. <br /> I'm afraid that once sacrifice is asked of others they may not be as receptive to these changes. I am expecting big numbers as there has been great interest from the community as well as other churches, and once the baby is born you can't put it back. But one thing is for sure. the launch sequence has begun. Our first Saturday night service is in one week. The Band is booked and my first sermon is in the works.<br /> I know that I am being obedient to God. I know God will not disappoint me, but i don't know that i have the support of my people. Maybe i'm just having doubts. Maybe it's satanic attacks. I just know this is scary.<br /> Any advice?<br /><br />P.S. I told cousin Larry you said hi.<br />Thanks<br />David Johnson<br /> Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17649480722351938479noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246769289463858102.post-22854527664341810722012-07-31T13:28:27.221-04:002012-07-31T13:28:27.221-04:00Thank you for your helpful thoughts, Derrick.It is...Thank you for your helpful thoughts, Derrick.It is a joy to interact with one of my fellow Beeson pastors. I am intrigued by and appreciative of your connection between cultural change and Lowry's narrative loop. I teach narrative preaching and have led turnaround church workshops but never thought of putting the two together. I look forward to connecting the two in my future work.<br /><br />I also welcome your feedback in the form of push-back. There are no silver bullets for changing a community culture. There is no formulaic approach to something more akin to spiritual art than methodological technique. I am with you there, but pastors need a good starting put that connects the dots between vision and strategy, prayer and action, being and doing. There are, in my estimation, too many churches who have a dream or vision from God that is never realized because they do not align people, calendar, budge, etc. with the God-given dream or vision. I am simply trying to bring to the surface the need to connect visionary dreaming with strategic action, all of which, I hope, is initiated and sustained by Father, Son and Holy Spirit.<br />Peace,<br />LennyLenny Luchettihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08896001990363426239noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246769289463858102.post-22322947899643951262012-07-31T12:56:28.207-04:002012-07-31T12:56:28.207-04:00Lenny,
I appreciate your topic which was central ...Lenny,<br /><br />I appreciate your topic which was central to my dissertation work as a Beeson Pastor and continues to inform my work at a faculty member at the University of Georgia. I find some agreement and some disagreement with your remarks. While I understand that Blogs do not usually fall under the rigors of peer-review, I would like to offer a few remarks. First, cultural change is very difficult to instigate and impossible to pin directly to any 5 or 6 points. The real danger for students is that they try to program change which you stated that you are against. Unfortunately, pastoral leaders likely will turn your points into a program to follow. In the end, they will say that I did what Lenny suggested and nothing happened. <br /><br />That being said, pastoral leaders do need to prayfully consider leading change in their churches. While leading change is difficult at best and too complex to explain in a short response to your blog, I would add to your first point about prayer that pastors and laity must discover a holy-discontent together and figure out how to fix it together. If the pastor and congregation are not on the same page with what needs to change, then the pastor will not have the opportunity to serve long enough to observe what God wants to do.<br /><br />Another framework to discuss cultural change which would fall under your disciple of preaching is to think about Eugene Lowery's Narrative Preaching Loop as a cultural change model. Lowery suggest sermons should follow certain steps:<br />1. Upset things (the equilibrium)<br />2. Complicate the tension (discrepancy) through analysis<br />3. Give a clue to resolution (the gospel)<br />4. Unfold the implications of the gospel<br />Too often, pastoral leaders use deductive leadership while narrative leadership is much more in line with leading cultural change.<br /><br />I wish you the best in your position at Wesley and tell Bob Whitesel hello for me.<br /><br />Blessings,<br />Derrick Lemons<br />dlemons@uga.eduAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246769289463858102.post-17087425774937568422012-07-25T16:50:38.668-04:002012-07-25T16:50:38.668-04:00You know my heart for preaching and preachers, Mat...You know my heart for preaching and preachers, Matt. My advice to you would be say yes to as many opportunities as you get to preach. And, when you do, work your tail off to say something that is biblically substantive and contextually relevant. Peace,<br />LennyLenny Luchettihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08896001990363426239noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246769289463858102.post-4690098631943826712012-07-25T15:58:40.766-04:002012-07-25T15:58:40.766-04:00I look forward to sitting under your teaching. Of ...I look forward to sitting under your teaching. Of all the areas covered in the MDiv program and Wesleyan licensing / ordination, preaching has me the most unsure of myself, since I have no real experience at it. Any preparatory advice for getting my feet wet?Matt Bradyhttp://www.mattbrady.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246769289463858102.post-7936375277797381542012-07-25T12:29:14.627-04:002012-07-25T12:29:14.627-04:00Thanks Matt. I will look forward to having you as ...Thanks Matt. I will look forward to having you as a student some day.PeaceLenny Luchettihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08896001990363426239noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246769289463858102.post-46472029574342354272012-07-25T11:53:01.900-04:002012-07-25T11:53:01.900-04:00Great post Lenny. I hope that when I get to the pl...Great post Lenny. I hope that when I get to the place where God puts me in a pastoral role (Wesleyan ministerial student now, starting at Wesley Seminary/IWU in January) I can exercise the kind of godly wisdom and patience you write about.Matt Bradyhttp://www.mattbrady.netnoreply@blogger.com